Combination journal stop and seal for railway cars



- 1963 J. H. HARDIE 3,072,445

COMBINATION JOURNAL STOP AND SEAL FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed Feb. 15, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 a INVENTDR L Q R *0 JAMES 4. l-MRDIE IITORNE Jan..8, 1963 J. H. HARDIE 3,072,445 COMBINATION JOURNAL STOP AND SEAL FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed Feb. 13, 1961 2 shgets-sheet 2 IN YEN TOR JQMES H. IMRDIE Irra/FWDS' United States Patent Ofifice Patented Jan. 8', 1963 Filed Feb. 13, 1961, Ser. No. 88,857 12 Claims. (Cl. 308-38) This invention relates to means for sealing railway car journal boxes against the entrance of dust and dirt and the escape and loss of lubricant.

During the last few years the railways of the North American continent have been making a very concentrated eifort to reduce one of the most costly and damaging problems which has existed for many years in railway operationthat of the common hot box.

With the advent of dieselization, faster schedules and longer trains are not only possible but desirable. Unfortunately, however, these factors make it increasingly important to be able to operate these faster and longer freight trains without fear of journal failure occasioned by hot boxes. The record shows, however, that the high incidence of journal failure is not being reduced appreciably and the railways are spending millions of dollars yearly ina search for the solution to the problem.

Waste packing, a railroad standard for over half a century, is now being replaced by various forms of lubricating devices to effectively lubricate the bearings in service. Some of the lubricators in service on different roads haveresulted in somewhat better results, but even if a lubricator has all the characteristics demanded of it, the problem of finding some eifective method of sealing the rear of the journal box to prevent the exit of lubricant and the entrance of road dirt and other foreign matter has, up to the present, not been solved satisfactorily.

This has proven to be a very diificult problem due to the design of the present standard components and the particular conditions which exist in service at the rear end of a journal box.

; The journal box on practically all freight trucks is designed as an integral part of the truck frame. At the rear of these boxes there is a very large opening, much larger than the axle which projects into it. It is this opening that is very difficult to seal once the truck is completely assembled and it is through this aperture which surrounds the axle that dirt gets in and lubricant gets out.

The major condition which causes difliculty in developing an adequate seal for this purpose is that the axle, besides rotating in the box, is also subjected to severe transverse loads caused by braking forces applied to the wheel which forces the axle to shift transversely relative to the box, thus tending to crush or badly distort any form of seal in the dustguard well at the rear of the box. This condition naturally reduces the effectiveness of the seal and abbreviates its life. No seal has yet been developed which will successfully resist the stresses placed upon it under this transverse displacement.

One very successful solution to the problem of maintaining the axle journal centrally located in the box while braking forces are at work has been developed and con-- sists of two heavy solid bronze journal stops applied to the inner side surfaces of the box and bolted to it. These stops are located on the horizontal diametric center line of the journal and are applied with a very small amount of running clearance between their faces and the journal portion of the axle. When braking occurs, the axle is all-owed to shift transversely only a small fraction of an inch. This arrangement in turn takes the damaging load of braking almost completely off whatever rear seal is employed, thereby increasing its life and efiiciency. The only fault with their use is their high initial cost and difficulty of application which makes the economic justification for their application questionable.

It is the object of the present invention to provide an improved journal box seal which is more economical in design than the seals heretofore proposed and which effectively solves in a commercially satisfactory manner the problems involved in producing an efficient seal capa-' ble of withstanding, for a long period of time, the load imposed thereon by the lateral shifting of the journal or axle which occurs when braking forces are applied to the car wheels. The seal in accordance with this invention is designed so that it includes rigid journal stops arranged to take the severe thrust loads of braking or humping on the most appropriate portion of the axle, i.e., on the dustguard portion of the axle closest to the origin of such forces.

The invention consists essentially of a combined journal stop and seal for railroad car journal boxes and comprises a seal member making sealing contact with the inner walls of the dustguard well of the journal box and with the car axle, together with a pair of journal stops located on the seal member at the horizontal centre line of the aperture in the seal member through which the car journal passes. The journal stops are provided with abutment faces slightly spaced radially from the surf-ace of the axle. That portion of the seal member adjacent the abut: ment faces of the journal stops is compressible to the extent that the axle is allowed to make contact with the journal stop-s when the axle moves transversely due to braking or humping, thereby transmitting compressive thrust to the journal box.

The object of the invention is to provide a more eflicient sealing means between railroad car journal boxes and the car axle.

A further object of the invention is to provide journal stop means which are combined with the sealing means for more flexible and efiicient sealing of the journal box under transverse movement of the car axle.

A further object of the invention is to provide a combined journal stop and seal for railroad car journal boxes in which the seal is in two halves for ease of assembly in the dustguard well of the journal box.

A further object of the invention is to incorporate a spring in the lower half of the journal seal to permit easy installation of that portion of the seal within the dustguard well.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for accurately aligning the separate halves of the journal seal. a

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a vertical elevation of the rear or inner end of a journal box, partly in section and showing my improved seal assembled in place within the dustguard well about the car axle.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken along the section line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

:FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken along the section line 33 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an exploded side elevational view of a slightly modified form of seal, showing the seal by itself.

FIG. 5 is a top view of one of the journal stops.

FIG. 6 is a sectional detail on an enlarged scale of the seal when it is not assembled with the journal box. 7

FIG. 7. is a similar detail showing the seal in assembled position.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the journal box 10 has at its rear end an opening through which projects the car axle 11. The journal box is provided with a dustguard well 12. The edges of the inner and outer Walls of the dustguard well 12 defining the opening through which the axle projects are indicated by numerals 13 and 14 respectively.

The combination stop and seal according to the invention includes a lower seal part (see also FIG. 4) and an upper seal part 21. The seal parts are mounted in the dustguard well 12 and have their faces provided with fluting 22 (FIG. 6) which defines a width somewhat greater than the width of the dustguard well, so that upon assembly the fluting is bent into sealing engagement with the inner walls of the well, as shown in FIG. 7. The seal parts 20 and 21 are made of a. molded elastomer such as Neoprene (trademark).

Between the upper and lower seal parts there are provided two bronze journal stops 25. Each journal stop is formed with a web 26 mounted in the dustguard well and with flanges 27 and 28. The inner flange 27 is mounted against the edge 13 of the inner wall of the dustguard well, and the outer flange 28 is backed by an angle plate 29 secured to the outer wall of the dustguard well with the ends of its flange backed by the outer wall edge 14. Thus each stop is rigidly backed by journal box assembly. The inner face 31 of each stop is contoured to the same diameter as the adjacent dustguard portion of the axle 11, and is provided with a groove 32 of dovetail cross-section in which is mounted a dove-tailed extension 33 of the lower seal part 20. The two journal stops 25 are disposed at diametrically opposite points of the axle 11 on a horizontal plane passing through the axis of theaxle. The faces 31 are normally slightly spaced from the corresponding surfaces of the axle.

The inner annular faces of the seal parts 20 and 21, including the extensions 33, are provided with two sealing lips 35 and 36. The lips 35 and 36 of the extensions 33 are designed to project radially inwards and contact the surface of the axle 11.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 the two seal parts 20 and 21 are assembled together with the stops 25 by means of a U-shaped rod 38. The lower mold section 20 is molded around the bight of the rod 38 and the stops 25 and upper seal part 21 is provided with bores to receive the legs of the rod 38. The legs of the rod 38 pro ject outwardly at the upper edge of upper seal part 21 and the seal parts are secured by means of nuts 39, with the interposition of an elongated washer plate 40.

According to a modified embodiment shown in FIG. 4 the assembly rod is made in three sections, namely a bight section 42 molded in the lower seal part 20 and having its ends secured to stops 25, and two leg sections 43 passing through suitable bores 44 of the upper seal part 21 and secured at their lower end to stops 25 and at their upper end by means of nuts and a washer plate (not shown in FIG. 4) in the same manner as in FIG. 1.

The device is assembled by placing the lower seal part 20 in the dustguard well first, and then by pushing the upper seal part 21 down over the lower seal part and securing it in place with the washer plate and nuts 39.

The combination stop and seal hereinabove described operates as follows: the Sealing lips 35 and 36 are in contact with the axle 11 around the entire periphery of the latter so as to provide an efiicient seal at all times. The inner sealing lip 35 acts mainly as an oil seal to prevent escape of the oil from the interior of the journal box, whereas the outer sealing lip 36 has for its main purpose to prevent entry of dirt and dust into the journal box. During normal operation the axle 11 is centered between the two journal stops 25 and is out of contact with either of them. When braking or humping forces act to displace the axle 11 transversely, one of the extensions 33 is compressed into the corresponding groove 32 until the axle comes in contact with the face 31 of the corresponding journal stop 25 and is abutted by it, so as to prevent excessive displacement of the axle. The extensions 33 are designed so that they may be compressed by the axle thrust without being torn or pinched while metal to metal contact is occurring between the axle and one of the stops.

4 The faces 31 are contoured, as mentioned above, to ensure maximum bearing area when contact does occur.

It is clear from the foregoing description that the present invention presents some very substantial advantages over previous sealing arrangements. The journal stops are easy to mount in position and can be easily replaced along with the seal when worn. An effective seal is provided at all times, even under the most trying conditions. The thrust loads of the axle are positively taken up by the stops so as to prevent damage or excessive wear of the seal, yet, under normal operating conditions the stops are out of contact with the axle, so that wear of the stops is reduced. The novel stop and seal arrangement can easily be applied to existing journal boxes with a minimum of alterations.

What I claim is:

l. A combination journal stop and seal for railway car journal boxes, comprising a seal member having a journal receiving aperture therethrough and a pair of generally diametrically opposite journal stops having journal abutment faces adjacent and on either side of said seal member, said journal stops having grooves coplanar with said seal member, said seal member including restricted portions fitting in said grooves and projecting radially inwardly of the peripheral edge of the journal receiving aperture and beyond the said abutment faces, said restricted portions of the seal member being compressible within the said grooves flush with the abutment faces of the said stops.

2. A combination journal stop and seal for railway car journal boxes, comprising a seal member having a journal receiving aperture therethrough, said seal having a pair of annular sealing lips projecting radially inwards of the periphery of the journal receiving aperture, and a pair of diametrically opposite journal stops having abutment faces adjacent and on either side of said lips, said journal stops having grooves coplanar with said seal member, said seal member including radially restricted portions fitting in said grooves and projecting radially inwardly of said faces, said restricted portions of the seal member being compressible within said grooves flush with the abutment faces of the said stops.

3. A combination journal stop and seal for railway car journal boxes, comprising a seal member having a journal receiving aperture therethrough, and a pair of diametrically opposite journal stops each having a web projecting outwardly in the plane of the seal member and flanges projecting at right angles to the plane of the web and forming abutment faces adjacent and on either side of said seal member, said journal stops having grooves coplanar with said seal member, said seal member including restricted portions fitting in said grooves and projecting radially inwardly of said faces, said restricted portions of the seal member being compressible within said grooves flush with the abutment face of said stops.

4. A combination journal stop and seal for railway car journal boxes, in combination, a journal, a journal box enclosing said journal, said journal box having a back wall forming a dust guard well, a seal member having a journal receiving aperture therethrough mounted in said well in sealing engagement with the walls of said well and in contact with said journal, and a pair of diametrically opposite journal stops each having a web mounted in said well and a flange projecting in a plane parallel with the axis of the said journal, a pair of angle plates secured externally of said well and forming stop surfaces contacting the flanges of said journal stops, said journal stops having abutment faces adjacent and on either side of said seal member and slightly spaced radially from said journal, said journal stops having grooves coplanar with said seal member, said seal member including restricted portions fitting in said grooves and projecting radially inwardly to said abutment faces, said restricted portions being compressible in said grooves to allow said journal to contact either of said stops when said journal is subjected to a thrust load.

5. A combination journal stop and seal for railway car journal boxes, comprising a seal member having a journal receiving aperture theretnrough, said seal having on its opposite faces a fluting projecting outwardly therefrom to form dust guard well seals, and a pair of diametrically opposite journal stops having abutment faces adjacent and on either side of said seal member, said journal stops having grooves coplanar with said seal member, said seal member including restricted portions fitting in said grooves and projecting radially inwardly of said faces, said restricted portions of the seal members being compressible within said grooves flush with the abutment faces of the said stops.

6. A combination journal stop and seal for railway car journal'boXes, in combination, a journal, a journal box enclosing said journal, said journal box having a back wall forming a dust guard well, a seal member having a journal receiving aperture therethrough mounted in said well in sealing engagement with the walls thereof and in contact with said journal, and a pair of diametrically opposite journal stops mounted in said well and having abutment faces adjacent and on either side of said seal member and slightly spaced radially from said journal, said journal stops having dovetail grooves coplanar with said seal member, said seal member including restricted dove-tail portions fitting in said grooves and projecting radially outwardly of said faces, said restricted portions being'compressible in the said grooves to allow said journal to contact either of said stops when said journal is subjected to a thrust load.

7. A combination journal stop and seal for railway car journal boxes, comprising a seal member having a journal receiving aperture therethrough, and a pair of diametrical- 1y opposite journal stops having abutment faces adjacent and on either side of said seal member, said journal stops molded around the bight of said rod, said journal stops and said upper seal part having bores to receive the legs of said rod, the ends of said legs projecting beyond said upper seal part and having fastening means to assemble together said seal parts and said stops.

8. A combination journal stop and seal according to claim 7, wherein said restricted seal portion is integral with said lower seal part.

9. A combination journal stop and seal according to claim 7, wherein said fastening means includes a washer plate assembled with said ends of said legs, and nuts engaging the ends of said legs.

10. A combination journal stop and seal for railway car journal boxes, comprising a seal member having a journal receiving aperture therethrough, and a pair of diametrically opposite journal stops having abutment faces adjacent and on either side of said seal member, said journal stops having groove coplanar with said seal, said seal including restricted portions fitting in said grooves and projecting radially inwardly of said abutment faces, said restricted portions of the seal member being compressible within said grooves flush with said abutment faces, said seal being made of a lower part and of an upper part and of a three piece rod including a bight section and two leg sections, said lower part being molded around said bight section, the ends of said bight section being secured to said journal stops, said upper seal part having bores to receive said leg sections, said leg sections being secured each at one end to one of said journal stops, the other ends of said leg sections projecting beyond said upper seal part and having fastening means to assemble together said seal parts and said stops.

11. A combination journal stop and seal according to claim 10, wherein said restricted seal portion is integral with said lower seal part.

12. A combination journal stop and seal according to claim 10, wherein said fastening means includes a washer plate assembled with said other ends of said leg sections, and nuts engaging said other ends of said leg sections.

References Cited. inthe file ofr this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,919,958 Arblaster Jan. 5, 1960 

1. A COMBINATION JOURNAL STOP AND SEAL FOR RAILWAY CAR JOURNAL BOXES, COMPRISING A SEAL MEMBER HAVING A JOURNAL RECEIVING APERTURE THERETHROUGH AND A PAIR OF GENERALLY DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSITE JOURNAL STOPS HAVING JOURNAL ABUTMENT FACES ADJACENT AND ON EITHER SIDE OF SAID SEAL MEMBER, SAID JOURNAL STOPS HAVING GROOVES COPLANAR WITH SAID SEAL MEMBER, SAID SEAL MEMBER INCLUDING RESTRICTED PORTIONS FITTING IN SAID GROOVES AND PROJECTING RADIALLY INWARDLY OF THE PERIPHERAL EDGE OF THE JOURNAL RECEIVING APERTURE AND BEYOND THE SAID ABUTMENT FACES, SAID RESTRICTED PORTIONS OF THE SEAL MEMBER BEING COMPRESSIBLE WITHIN THE SAID GROOVES FLUSH WITH THE ABUTMENT FACES OF THE SAID STOPS. 